Apparatus for regional analgesia



April 1944- N. R. JAMES ET AL APPARATUS FOR REGIONAL ANALGESIA FiledOct. '7, 1943 Fig.2.

'matically or otherwise.

Patented Apr. 4, l944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUSFORREGIONAL'ANALGES'IA Norman Reynolds James, Twickenham, and Henry AlfredTalley, Stanmore, England, assigners of one-fourth to Cedric GordonBlaker, North Finchley, England, and one-fourth to Harriet Maude James,Twickenham, England Application October 7, 1943, Serial No. 595,510 InGreat Britain May 5, 1943 (Cl. 128--2l6) 7 Claims.

The invention may also be used to administer regional analgesics orother solutions for the prophylaxis of shock due to trauma, heat, coldor chemicals or the treatment of such conditions if they exist.

According to the invention the apparatus essentially comprises a sourceof compressed gas or means of compressing a gas such as air, oxygen,carbon dioxide and so on, or any suitable mixture thereof may be used.For example, the compressing means may consist of a pump actuated byhand, pedal or otherwise and in the case of a compressed gas it may bestored in a suitable bottle or cylinder, a regulatable reducing valve orthe like being included if desired.

The compressed gas is supplied to a. reservoir or container of suitablematerial, such as non-- ferrous metal, stainless steel, or otherwise,the interior surface having if desired, a vitreous or other suitableglaze or lining of any appropriate material and advantageously adaptedto be sterilised by suitable treatment.

The reservoir or container which is of suitable capacity has at itslower end an outlet, preferably fitted with a valve controlled auto- Tothis outlet is connected a flexible or other conduit, the other end ofwhich is detachably connected to a valve controlled gun or the like.

Where necessary, there is advantageously provided means for separatingoil and water as well as a filter or filters for the elimination of dustor other noxious substances, for instance, on the air or gas line; or onthe liquid line, or both. Moreover all piping, conduits, connections andthe like are advantageously made readily detachable for sterilisationwhilst where the conduits are flexible they can be formed fromreinforcedcanvas tubing or otherwise.

The gun which may be of any suitable kind ispreferably'shaped to providea pistol grip and lable valve therebetween, such control being, if

desired, formed as a trigger.

Detachably connected to the outlet from the pistol is a hollow surgicalneedle, preferably of stainless steel and of appropriate length whichmay vary to suit particular needs.

The needle after being sterilised is jabbed or inserted into the patientin such a manner thatthe discharge end thereof is located in the desiredposition, whereafter the valve of the pistol is operated so that thesaline solution with its analgesic drug is caused to pass to and throughthe needle under the effect of the pressure in the reservoir orcontainer until the requisite injection has been effected. The volume ofsolution injected can be ascertained by the use of a gauge or the likeconnected to the reservoir or container, or could be provided on thegun.

Where the needle is detachably connected to.

the pistol it advantageously has a conical or other recess lined with asoft or comparatively soft metal to make a firm joint with a conicalprojection from the pistol, the whole being held firmly in position by aunion nut whilst, in some cases the connection may include a ball jointto permit the needle to be set at various angles to the pistol.

Instead of making direct connection between the needle and the pistol afitting may be em ployed comprising a pipe or conduit which can beopened to the air through a cock and is so disposed that if said cock isopen after the needle has been inserted into the patient, the salinesolution charged with the analgesic drug instead of passing through theneedle, passes to the open air as for instance, to a discharge bucket,exerting an aspiration on the needle to cause slight suctiontherethrough. Thus, should the actual.

discharge end of the needle have been incorrectly located, the saidaspiration may draw blood, cerebral spinal fluid, pus or otherwisethrough the needle. This, in the particular construction envisaged, canbe seen through a sight 1 glass coming in a tube between the actualjoint of the needle and the said fitting so that if the needle had beenincorrectly set, its position can be' quickly adjusted. Then by closingthe cock, the saline solution charged with the analgesic drug can beinjected as previously explained.

An air trap may be suitably located in the connections, if desired, toprevent air or other gas passing through the needle to the patient.

Any suitable sterilizing means may be utilised embodies an inlet andoutlet with readily controlfor the needles, pistol, conduits,connections and so on while for field and other emergency purposes theremay also be included a kettle or the like of stainless steel or othersuitable material for generating steam at required temperature andpressure by means of a suitable portable heater or stove in orderto-pass through a suitable flexible or other conduit (or conduits) forsterilising purposes.

The needle may remain if desired, in position on the pistol when not inuse and be protected by a readily detachable cap of stainless steel orother suitable material.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention may be made in a greatvariety of forms but where primarily intended for field or emergencyuseis advantageously adapted to be readily portable by,

one or more individuals with the reservoir or container charged with thesaline solution carrying the analgesic drug. In some cases where theweight may be excessive, in order to enable the reservoir or containerto be charged with an adequate quantity of such solution and drug sothat a great number of injections can be carried out withoutre-charging, a suitable fixed or detachable carrying handle or handlesof bar-like form or the like may be provided to enable the app-aratus tobe carried by one or more persons.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the main container consistsof two separate struc tural units. The outer unit is designed towithstand mechanical shocks and may be of any suitable metal while theinnermost unit is preferably of stainless steel and adapted to withstandchemical reactions. These structures are preferably of cylindrical form,the outermost one having a base, preferably flanged to form a foot. Theupper end of the outer unit is such as to co-operate witha readilyattachable and detachable cover, as for instance by means of clampingbolts or the like carried by pivoted swing-down arms or the like. Ifdesired the cover may be of a dual nature, that is to say its outer partis suitable for withstanding mechanical shocks and to take the mainmechanical. connections, whilst its inner part, may be of stainlesssteel. As a practical expedient, the cover is utilised for thecarryingand attachment of the various accessory devices; for example ithas attached thereto a pressure gauge, a release valve and a reliefvalve, and is formed or provided with passage connections communicatingwith a filter unit or units and an air trap device ,moroever, as will bereadily understood, it can be utilised for the attachment of any othernecessary fitments.

The air trap device may be of such a nature that when the supply ofliquid falls below a predetermined level the supply to the pistol is cutoff by means of a ball valve or'other mechanism and, should the pressurecontinue to operate, the liquid from the container passes to theatmosphere'or the compressed air or other gas itself passes to theatmosphere.

Although a saline solution charged with an analgesic drug wouldgenerally be used it may equally be used with any other suitableliquids.

'Ihe sterilising means may be suitable for all parts of the apparatus orcertain parts may be subjected to other known means of sterilisation.For example, the filter units either for the liquid side or the air orgas pressure side may be subject to different kinds of sterilisation.Thus, either before or after cleaning, the filter can be baked in anoven at a suitable temperature.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference willhereinafter be made to the accompanying drawing which shows diagrarmmatically at Figure i an elevation to illustrate by way of simpleexample the general principle embodied and at Figure 2 a gun to a largerscale in part sectional elevation.

From this drawing it will be clear that the reservoir I, which mayconsist of two separate units I, la but which may on the contrary be asingle unit I made of stout material to withstand shock and linedinternally with chemically re- I sisting material or again treatedinternally with air filter B which is connected to the reservoir Ithrough a valve 5 serving to shut off the supply of compressed air. Thepressure exerted upon the solution in the reservoir l or la will forcethe solution through an outlet at the bottom, here shown as a pipe 6adepending to near the bottom of the reservoir I and connected at itsoutlet end with a non-ferrous air trap C which remains closed until thesolution is exhausted. The reservoir is also provided with a safety orrelief valve 60 and a pressure release valve 6b.

The solution is taken from the air-trap C to a valve-controlled gun D tothe outlet of which is detachably secured a hollow surgical needle E.

The air filter Bis of any usualkind with a sump 7 and drain cock 8.

The air trap C consists of a vessel 9 in which is a ball-valve 10 whichcloses an air inlet II until the solution falls below a pre-determinedlevel whereupon, if the pressure should continue to operate, the airinlet ll opens and the solution from the container or the compressed airor gas passes to the atmosphere therethrough. The solution normallypasses from outlet Ha to the gun D through pipe C The valve-controlledgun D is advantageously in the form of a pistol grip I2 with inlet I3for the solution which passes to an outlet Hi through a valve I5controlled by a trigger, press-button or other means l6. To the outlet Mis detachably connected the surgical needle E which is enclosed when notin use by a cap ll.

In Fig. 1 the needle is directly secured to the piston but there maypreferably be embodied a fitting F shown in Fig. 2 which consists of apipe l8 to which the needle is secured and which pipe [8 is fitted witha cock I9 which controls the outlet Illa from a jet and Venturi tubecontained in the cock body I92) and which cock can be opened to theatmosphere after the needle has been inserted in the patient so that thesolution can be discharged through an outlet l9a into a receptacle toproduce a slight suction on the needle for the purpose of making anaspiration test to ascertain whether the needle is correctly inserted,.asight glass 20 being included in the fitting F so that the matter drawnout by the suction can be examined. The subsequent closing of the cockI9 will then permit of solutionbeing injected into the patient in normalmanner.

The apparatus is sterilised in hospital by. blowing steam through thewhole circuit from the air filter to the outlet orifice of the gun butwhere this is not possible steam maybe generated in a kettle boiled on asuitable source of heat, the steam being taken through a pipe andconnected to th air filter B or it may be connected to theorifice I I ofthe air trap. The use of a detachable cover permits of easy cleaning andinspection.

The connection from the outlet Ila of the air trap to the gun D maysuitably pass through a junction box or T-piece 2| so that anotherconnection or connections C2 may be taken therefrom to another gun orguns thus permitting of several patients being treated at the same time.A valve or valves 22 may be provided on the junction box 2| in this caseto permit of controlling the delivery of solution to the several guns.

To enable the apparatus to be readily carried by one or two persons inemergency cases, it is provided with carrying means such as by removablebars or handles 23 inserted in appropriate lugs or sockets 24 on the lid2 or otherwise.

There may also be provided as a separate entity or in conjunction withthe air filter, means for separating oil and water.

The diagrammatic drawing hereto shows the air filter and air trapdistinct from the reservoir but it is to be understood that these partsare generally mounted upon the lid or the lid may be in the form. of asomewhat deep container adapted to house these and other fittingsincluding the gun if necessary.

It is obvious that the gun can be of various types other than thoseherein specifically described. For instance the gun may incorporate afinger control suction valve as well as the finger control valve for thesolution. Or again, the cock body l9a could be incorporated in the bodyof the gun itself.

To facilitate removal of the inner reservoir unit Ia where such is used,it can be formed with an upper portion lb of restricted diameterterminating in a flanged lip or rim lc.

Further, in order to obviate the need of removing the cover to fill thereservoir, a filler cap, not shown, can be provided suitably on suchcover.

The invention is not limited to the precise forms or details ofconstruction herein described, as these may be varied to suit particularrequirements.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for regional analgesia comprising a reservoir to containsolution, a detachable cover hermetically closing said reservoir, meansfor supplying compressed air to said reservoir, filter means therefor,means by which the solution is conveyed to an air trap and deliveredtherefrom to a valve-controlled gun associated with a hollow surgicalneedle.

2. Apparatus for regional analgesia comprising a reservoir containingsaline solution and a drug, a detachable hermetic closure and carryingmeans therefor, means for supplying filtered, compressed air to saidreservoir, means for discharging the solution to a valve-controlledhollow surgical needle consisting of an outlet passage from saidreservoir to an air trap, a delivery pipe from the air trap to a triggeroperated valve controlling the delivery of solution to the needle.

3. Apparatus for regional analgesia comprising a reservoir containingsaline solution and a drug, said reservoir consisting of a pair ofnested vessels of which the outer one is adapted to with standmechanical shock and the inner one to con tain the solution and drug andto withstand chemical reaction, a detachable cover mounted on the outerpart of the reservoir to hermetically close the same, an inlet valveserving also as a stop cock mounted on the cover and connected to asource of compressed air, filter means interpolated between the sourceof supply and the inlet valve for the reservoir, an outlet from saidreservoir through which solution passes to an air trap attached to saidoutlet, said air trap serving to prevent admission of atmospheric airthereto until the solution which has risen therein falls below apredetermined level, a delivery passage from the air trap to a junctionbox and connections from said junction box to a plurality of hollowsurgical needles each mounted on a gun and actuated by afinger-controlled valve.

4. Apparatus for regional analgesia as claimed in claim 3 having filtermeans for the air and liquid supply lines and an air trap having aball-actuated valve to control the delivery of solution to the valvecontrolled gun.

5. Apparatus for regional analgesia as claimed in claim 3 having arelief valve and a safety release valve mounted on the cover of thereservoir.

6. Apparatus for regional analgesia as claimed in claim 3 wherein thesurgical needle is mounted on the gun and provided with a cock and asight glass so that said cock can be opened to the atmosphere in orderto obtain an aspiration test.

'7. Apparatus for regional analgesia as claimed in claim 3 the gunhaving a spring actuated trigger controlled valve, an inlet passage forthe solution and an outlet passage on which the surgical needle isdetachably connected.

NORMAN REYNOLDS JAMES. HENRY ALFRED TALLEY.

